2017 Pre-Championship Manual is online

The 2017 NCAA Division III Pre-Championship Manual has been published. The FAQ page has been updated.

Big Stuff 43 Pool A bids, 1 Pool B bid, 20 Pool C bids (same as last season) Regional Rankings: 10/18; 10/25; 11/1; 11/6 Online selection show: 11/6 at 12:30 p.m. (EST) Regionals: 11/9-11 and 11/10-12 Finals: 11/16-18 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

National Committee Central: Beth Wilmeth Great Lakes: Sue Hozak Mid-Atlantic: Marie Stroman Midwest: Matt Schoultz, chair New England: Moira Long New York: Johan Dulfer South: Becky Hall West: Ed Garza

And because you love math, the 2017 access ratio is 420 (Pool A teams) ÷ 43 (Pool A conferences) = 9.767, which gets truncated to 9. There are 11 Pool B teams, so there will be a Pool B bid until either the newly formed ACAA gains an automatic bid or a few more independent teams pull a Rust and leave the division. The Pre-Championship Manual says there are 16 Pool A eligible programs in the USA South, but I counted 17.

-Ricky Nelson